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NBA Picks

NBA Pick: Total Value Play of the Day Tuesday

Each day the LT Profits Sports Group seeks out a total that simply does not add up and therefore offers the most value that day. Here is their Total Value Play of the Day for Tuesday.

Two teams on nice ‘under’ streaks may play to another one on national TV on Tuesday night when the Los Angeles Lakers (7-7, 1-4 away) pay a visit to the Washington Wizards (5-8, 3-2 home) at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC at 7:05 ET in a game televised nationally on NBA TV.

The Lakers may actually be exceeding expectations with their 7-7 start, and they too have buckled down on the defensive end while holding their last four opponents below 100 points. As for those hoping to see Kobe Bryant return tonight, well that is not going to happen either tonight or probably any time on this three-game road trip, with a home date vs. Portland on Sunday a more likely target for his 2013 debut.

That improvement should continue tonight vs. a Washington offense ranked 17th in scoring and 19th in field goal percentage, especially with the Lakers’ task made easier by Beal’s absence. Interestingly, the Lakers area actually in the top half of the league in field goal percentage allowed, ranking 12th at 44.7 percent, so part of the reason they are still allowing so many points this season is because they have played at the fourth fastest pace in the NBA.

Neither of those choices bodes well for the Wizards’ offense, so they may have to rely on their defense to win this game and that unit is allowing only 94.0 points per game over the last four contests.

The Wizards have done a good job defensively vs. the more offensive minded Western Conference with the ‘under’ going 4-1 in their last five non-conference affairs, and with the Lakes not quite as dangerous offensively right now as some other Western Conference teams, look for another ‘under’ on Tuesday.